1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method for making a vehicle bed assembly and to a vehicle bed assembly which is made in accordance with the method and more particularly, to an efficient method for making a variety of different vehicle bed assemblies by the use of a single process or methodology and a single set of tooling.
2. Background of the Invention
A vehicular bed or bed assembly typically includes a floor bed or pan, a pair of, sidewalls which respectively and typically include or which are selectively attached to a wheelwell or wheel housing, a front panel or wall, and a rearwall or panel which is typically formed upon a selectively movable tailgate. Particularly, these members, when operatively and selectively placed upon a vehicle, such as a truck, cooperatively define and provide a storage environment or xe2x80x9cspacexe2x80x9d within which various items may be securely placed.
While the foregoing assembly does provide such a desired storage space, it does. have some disadvantages. By way of example and without limitation, several uniquely configured tools or apparatuses are typically utilized to create each of the walls or each vehicular bed assembly, and new tooling assemblies are required to be designed and built each time that the size of a newly produced bed assembly is to be changed or modified from the size of a previously produced bed assembly (e.g., for new models or types of vehicles), thereby undesirably increasing the overall cost and complexity of vehicular production.
Further, typically the wheelwell members are coupled to the floor bed by the use of flanges which are coupled to or which are formed upon the floor bed. Such flanges increase the overall cost and complexity of vehicular production and concomitantly provide an unaesthetically pleasing overall appearance due to the space or xe2x80x9ccrevicexe2x80x9d which often exists between an attached wheelwell member and the floor pan. Moreover, the space or crevice allows for the ingress of moisture which may cause the vehicular bed assembly to rust or to structurally deteriorate.
The present invention overcomes these drawbacks in a new and novel fashion.
It is a first non-limiting advantage of the present invention to provide a vehicular bed assembly which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated disadvantages of prior vehicular bed assemblies.
It is a second non-limiting advantage of the present invention to provide a method for making a vehicular bed assembly which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated disadvantages of prior methods of making a vehicular bed assembly.
It is a third non-limiting advantage of the present invention to provide a vehicle bed assembly having a floor panel with at least one portion having a boundary edge; and a wheel housing member having a mating edge which has substantially the same shape as the boundary edge of the at least one portion and which selectively overlays and is attached to the boundary edge of the at least one portion, thereby cooperating with the boundary edge of the at least one portion to attach the wheel housing member to the floor panel.
It is a fourth non-limiting advantage of the present invention to provide a method for making a vehicular bed assembly. Particularly, the method includes the steps of forming a substantially identical first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh panels, each of the panels having a substantially identical shape; coupling the fourth panel to the fifth panel, thereby forming a floor bed; coupling the floor bed to a vehicle; coupling the first to the second panel, thereby forming a first sidewall; coupling the third panel to the sixth panel, thereby forming a second sidewall; coupling the first and second sidewalls to the floor bed and to the seventh panel, thereby forming a vehicular bed assembly.
It is a fifth non-limiting advantage of the present invention to provide a method for making a vehicular bed assembly. Particularly, the method includes the steps of providing a roll, of material; drawing a first amount of material from the roll; stamping the certain amount of drawn material, thereby forming beads in the certain amount of rolled material; cutting the certain amount of rolled material, thereby forming, a first sidewall; drawing a second amount of material from the roll; stamping the second amount of material, thereby forming beads in the second amount of material; cutting the second certain amount of material, thereby forming a backwall; drawing a third amount of material from the roll; stamping the third amount of material, thereby forming beads in the third amount of material; cutting the third amount of material, thereby forming a second sidewall; drawing a fourth amount of material from the roll; stamping the fourth amount of, material, thereby forming beads in the fourth amount of material; cutting the fourth amount of material, thereby forming a frontwall; drawing a fifth amount of material from the roll; stamping the fifth amount of material, thereby forming beads in the fifth amount of material; cutting the fifth amount of material, thereby forming a floor pan; coupling the first and second sidewalls and frontwall to the floor pan; providing a tailgate; coupling the backwall to the tailgate; movably coupling the tailgate to the floor pan; and coupling the frontwall to the first and second sidewalls, thereby forming a vehicular bed assembly. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and by reference to the following claims.